


Heart And Healing

by Identiaetslos



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Keep Your Love Blue, Post War, Romance, Slice of Life, dealing with mental health issues, little blue children, shiara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 05:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20204263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Identiaetslos/pseuds/Identiaetslos
Summary: The war is over and for Liara T'Soni and Korynn Shepard are struggling to heal.





	Heart And Healing

With the atmospheric compensators still under repair, storms were the new norm on Thessia. They were brilliant and rumbled through the walls of the still mostly barren estate which had, somehow, survived the war largely unscathed.

In some aspects, it was hard to believe the war was over. Doctor Liara T’Soni had gotten so used to fighting, and she guessed by the way Korynn Shepard twitched through her sleep that it would be a while before the quiet would grow on her. If ever.

Was the war truly over? The question lingered in Liara’s mind as she had Glyph open the black out curtains enough so that she could watch the lighting snake across the sky above Serrice. Hope twinkled in the lights of the construction crews as they worked tirelessly to repair the Asari capitol. Much of it had been destroyed by the Reapers, including the Temple of Athame.

Liara wanted to hope too, and she feared, superstitiously, that her worries would translate into a bad omen. That was how she lost Korynn the first time. She sipped her tea.

“Liara?” Korynn’s voice came from the doorway to their bedroom.

“What are you doing up?” Liara asked, turning around.

Korynn was leaned against the door frame, clutching it with white fingers which struggled to keep her upright. There was worry in Korynn’s face and her short, dark hair was pasted to her brow as it did when she woke up from a nightmare. She wore an oversized Serrice University shirt that Liara remembered gifting her and just her boxer shorts. The Alliance doctors had done an excellent job of repairing most of Korynn’s injuries and her synthetic skin grafts were growing nicely over Korynn’s leg replacements.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Korynn replied.

A loud thunderclap over the roof of the house startled Garria from her sleep and she began to cry.

Liara set her tea in the sink and retreated back to her bedroom, trying to ignore the growing sense of worry. She paused before Korynn and kissed her lips. “Do you need me to help you back to bed?”

Korynn shook her head defiantly. “I think I can manage another journey.”

Satisfied with that answer and Korynn’s usual stubbornness, Liara moved past her beloved and lifted Garria into her arms. “It’s okay,” Liara soothed her first born held her close as another loud thunderclap only worsened Garria’s fear.

“Shh...it’s just a storm,” Liara soothed and kissed her daughter.

Korynn made it to the end of the bed and was now sitting on it. She held out her hand and Liara obliged by sitting next to her. “I’m reminded of that first off ship mission we did together,” Korynn said and made a silly face at Garria who had begun to calm as the storm was moving past.

“Mavigon,” Liara said, searching her memory.

“Yeah, that one,” Korynn replied with a chuckle as she’d forgotten the name of the planet, but clearly not the story that went with it. “I remember the winds were bad enough I could barely keep the Mako in a straight line.”

“I remember throwing up,” Liara said, unbuttoning her pajama blouse and lifting her breast to her daughter.

“You and Tali, and nearly me.” Korynn said with an amused smile.

Liara made a face. “We wondered about that. Here we were looking like idiots and figuring humans to have some kind of Krogan stomach...at least until that ride with Ashley on Noveria.”

“I didn’t want you to laugh at me.”

“We would have,” Liara said bluntly and laughed.

Korynn laughed too. “I was trying to impress you.”

“I was trying to impress you, too.” Liara smiled and covered her chest when Garria finished. She stared down at her daughter and, for a moment, marveled at how fast time went by.

“It seemed it worked,” Korynn replied and kissed Liara on her head before making another face at Garria.

Garria squealed and laughed.

The storm passed and quiet settled over the estate once more. “It seems strange to not be fighting something. For a moment, the chaos seemed familiar in a frighteningly welcome sort of way,” Liara said.

“My nightmare was from back during the war. They always are, but never at the point you’d think,” Korynn said, leaning back on the mattress.

Liara rose and kissed Garria before placing her in her crib.

“I was on the Presidium, that day you met me for fishdogs and I asked you to marry me,” Korynn continued.

Liara leaned against the dresser next to Garria’s pen and watched Korynn. She looked handsome the way the light hit her and the way her hair fell on her brow.

“Except, I couldn’t find you. Nobody was there, in fact, and I looked around for you, for your dad, for someone. For some reason Sloane Kelly was there...you remember her?” Korynn asked.

Liara frowned slightly at the mention of Korynn’s ex lover and nodded.

“She was there with Citadel Security and they told me Cerberus had you, and we fought...and I never found you, but I remember seeing that asari...I um...”

“Reesa,” Liara said softly. She’d been an asari civilian killed during Cerberus’s raid on the Citadel that Korynn happened along when the Normandy crew boarded to retake the station. Seeing Reesa’s body had affected Korynn greatly and the mention of her sent chills.

“I remember somehow knowing we’d been too late.” Korynn had gotten emotional.

Liara sat beside Korynn again and placed a gentle hand on her beloved to soothe her. “I’m right here. We took the Citadel back together, and Reesa’s family was grateful that you cared enough to honor her at her funeral.”

Korynn took a breath. “I don’t wish for the war, Liara.”

“I know,” Liara replied sheepishly. “I don’t either, it’s just...familiar. My fear is that I keep being paranoid and something will happen to you, to Garria.”

“Is this what hell is like?” Korynn asked sitting up.

That question brought tears to Liara’s eyes and she kissed Korynn’s lips as if to reassure both her and her beloved. She closed her eyes and leaned against Korynn as Korynn took her in her arms.

“No...” Liara said finally. “Athame said that ‘hell’ as you humans call it, isn’t a place it’s a state of mind. We’re not hateful or angry, just broken.”

“Maybe I ought to talk to Doctor T’Vaan tomorrow morning,” Korynn said. “About both of us.”

“That’s a good idea,” Liara replied. She felt Korynn kiss the top of her scalp crests and pull her onto the bed. She held to Korynn as close as she could and listened to the beat of her heart. Korynn kissed her again and nudged her when she wanted more.

Liara smiled and lifted her head. For a long moment she stared down at Korynn Shepard, those sea-green eyes staring back with love and promise. The war was over, and now was picking up the pieces, not just with buildings and monuments, but in the hearts of its heroes.


End file.
